Battle of Kelmarsh

The Battle of Kelmarsh occurred in 880 AD when the armies of King Alfred the Great of Wessex and King Anlaf of Heimiliborg met in battle in Northamptonshire amid the Viking invasions of England. King Alfred decisively defeated the Danes, killing Anlaf and destroying his army; Kelmarsh brought an end to the Danish kingdom of Heimiliborg.

Background
The Danish stronghold of Northhamptun (Northampton)  fell to King Alfred the Great of Wessex during his Midlands campaign in the spring of 880 AD, reducing the Danish kingdom of Heimiliborg to a field army commanded by King Anlaf. Anlaf had failed in his attempt to seek outside assistance for the defense of his domain, and Alfred's successful capture of Buckingham and Northampton persuaded the Danish principality of Ledeborg (Leicester) to make a separate peace with Wessex. Stymied by Ledeborg's betrayal, Anlaf was forced to march south to confront Alfred and win back his capital. Alfred marched north from Northampton to meet Anlaf at his camp near Walgrave, but Anlaf changed his mind about giving battle and withdrew 4 miles north to Kelmarsh, where his exhausted army was forced to halt for rest. Alfred's fresh army gave chase, meeting them on the field of battle.

Battle
King Alfred, having initiated the attack, faced a Danish army which was resolutely on the defensive. Alfred's army had the advantage of being positioned next to a steep hill on its left flank, and Alfred immediately repositioned his army on the hillside. When his army was in formation, he ordered his thegns and churls to charge down the hill and attack the main Danish force in four sections; meanwhile, he ordered his archers and javelinmen to move to the base of the hill in order to come within firing range of the Danes, and he had his cavalry flank the Danish force on Anlaf's right flank. Ultimately, Alfred's cavalry overwhelmed Anlaf's small cavalry force, while his infantry met the Danes in hand-to-hand combat. The battle dragged on until the West Saxon cavalry collided with the Danish rear and attacked the Danish warriors from behind, enveloping them and condemning them to destruction. Anlaf and his retinue attempted to fight against the advancing West Saxons, but he was speared by a West Saxon horseman and fell to the grass, dead. His army then fell apart and was ruthlessly pursued, leaving only 18 survivors.

Aftermath
The Battle of Kelmarsh resulted in the death of Anlaf, the destruction of his army, and the collapse of the Danes of Heimiliborg's resistance to Alfred's conquest of the Midlands. With Heimiliborg destroyed, Alfred was free to focus on the conquest of Bedford and the final defeat of Bedeborg.